Hopper-bottom car.



PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

J. S. STEVENSON. HOPPER BOTTOM GAR.

APPLICATION FILED Arml, 1905.

ATTEST. INVENTOR.

JOHN S. STEVENSON. BYfliv/W M 44 ATTY tion thereon.

UNITED snares PATENT. 'OFFIGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed April 1, 1905. Serial No. 253.323.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN S. STEVENSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, Wayne county, Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in 'Hopfper-Bottom Cars, of which the following is a ull, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw-' ings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevati'onal view of a portion of a hopper-bottom car with my improved door-operating mechanism in posi- Fig. 2 is a. longitudinal sectional view showing the door-operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4 4. of Fig. 2.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in door-operating mechanism for hopper-bottom cars, the object being to so construct the operating mechanism that the leverswhich open and close the doors will be positively actuated, guides being pro. vided for confining the path of travel of certain of-the pivotal points of said levers, said guides serving also as-fixed abutments for taking the weight transmitted through the door onto its operating mechanism.

Another object is to rovide means for adjusting the position of t e doors with relation to the fixed abutments, whereby the doors may be adjusted toproperly seat themselves against the walls of the openings which they are designed to close.

With these objects inview the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, all as will be hereinafter described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the side Wall of the car,from which depend th'e hopper-sheets 2. It has been usual heretofore to use a continuous late of metal to form theoutside hopper-s eets in order to add strength to the structure; but by my improved method of trussing the doors I am enabled to dispense with the use of material'between the hoppers, andthus effect a considerable saving of cost and a reduction in the weight of the car.

3 represents the center sills.

4 is a cross-ridge practically of inverted-M shape, which extends transversely the car at its central portion and is riveted to the side walls of the car.

.5 represents sheets which are provided with vertical flanges riveted together above the center sills, sald sheets shedding the load from the center sills and being extended downwardly to form theinsidehopper-sheets.

The inclined end floorsheets of the car are rivetedv to the side walls, the side hoppersheets, and the center hopper-sheets 5 by use of integral flanges or connection-angles in a manner well known in the art.

The side walls of the car have dependin 0 from them suitable connection-plates 6, which connection plates support a transversely disposed I-beam 7 11s I-beam, as shownin Fig. 3, has its top flanges riveted to the channels 8 and adjacent the lower ends of the guides 9, said filler-block forming an abutment. v

In addition to forming a support for the transverse I-beam 7 the plates 6 are extended laterally, (see Fig. 1,) so as to provide mounts for the door-operating shafts 11, the outer ends of said shafts being squared for the reception of a wrench or handle, as is well understood. These shafts are provided with looking members 12, as is usual, with which. cooperate the pawls 13 in the well-known manner. Shafts 11 extend to the center of the car, findin appropriate bearings in the center sills, and carry at a point between the center sills rock-arms 14. These rock-arms are connected to links 15, said links carrying rollers 16 at their lower ends,-which'rollers o crate in the channels or ways provided by t is guides 9. 1 Upon the axles of these rollers are mounted links 17, whose outer ends carry screw-eyes 18.

19 represents the doors,which arehinged to the legs of the central cross-ridge, sai doors closing the openings of the hoppers. The

. in Figs. .3 and doors in the same transverse plane are con.- nected by a trussed beam 26, said beam having marginal flanges which are riveted to the doors, respectively, the central portion of the beam being embossed or formed with a tapered. longitudinally-extending rib, as shown in the space between the doors there is a cap-plate or seat 21, riveted to the marginal flanges of the beam. 22 indicates pipe arranged between this cappiece and tl1eein.bossed rib of the beam, said pipe acting as a spacer and serving to add strength. and rigidity to the beam. The screw portion of the screw-eyelS, heretofore referred to, is provided with an adjusting-nut 23, which is designed to impinge against the channelof the beam, the threaded portion of said screw-eyepassing through the spacingpipe 22 and projecting beyond the cap-piece 21, where it receives .a nut 24, designed to impinge against said cap-piece.

' The door-beam just above described being attached to the free edges of the doors will insure said doors moving in unison, the bearnbeingof such strength as to rigidly connect the doors together, and also prevent the closing edges of the doors from buckling or binding-under superposed load. The use of the spacing pipe and the cap-piece adds to the strength of the beam at its middle por tion, whereit is not riveted to the doors, and

also affords means whereby the rollers 16 may be adjusted with respect to the doors.

'The operation of the device will readily be seen by referring to Fig. 2, wherein the door at the left is shown in its open position and the door at the right in its closed position. In the closed position of the doors the rollers 16 are located in the vertical portions of the guides 9, and in addition the link 1? beers u on. the abutment-block 10, which takes up t e and thrust thereof and relieves the axle of the rollers from transverse strain. in the opening movement of the doors the rock-arm 1% is swung toward and between the guides 9, so that as the links 17 leave the abutmentblock the rollers ride freely up the inclined portions of the guides 9 to the position shown at the left in Fig 2. In closing the doors the arms 1% move in the opposite direction or downwardly, forcing the rollers down the incline and locating the -links 17 in line with the abutment-blocks. In the closed position of the door the axis of rotationiof arm. 14', the pivotal connection .between said arm and the link l5,'and the pivotal connection between links 15 and 17 are in line. This closed position being a position of dead-center will relieve the shaft 11' of all torsional or twisting strain, and the fact that the end thrust of link 1 7 against the abutmerit-block is taken oil of the rollers will also reduce the liability of the doors to accidental opening to a.minimum; In other words, the

eoe,see

arrangement of the links and guides is such that the doors are cllcctually locked in their closed position, and practically all strain is taken from the pawls l3.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that the weight of the lovers and links materially assists in closing the doors and also in holding the doors closed. The strain from the load on the doors is taken up by the abutmerit-blocks and channels 8, which are practically under compression at all times,and therefore these strains are substantially neutralized. The ends of channels 8 are supported by the guidesl), and consequently are stiffened against torsional strains. These guides 8 are preferably set at the same angles as the doors, which enables the power to be applied in such manner that the doors can be pulled open with the closing mechanism in case they are frozen, and,furthermore, the doors can be locked open by the same mechanism which Each doorhas inis used in closing them. dependent mechanisrn connected therewith, and consequently less power is required for opening the doors separately than would be the case were they connected to operate in unison from the same source of power.

to this strain in this instance, because said cross-ridge '18 located above the center SlllS,

and therefore I employ the cross-beam 7,which crossbeani not only serves to support the center sills from. the plate-girder sides, but

also forms amember to which the parts of the door-operating mechanism may be connected.

lam aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and; principle-of my invention. v v y Having thus describedthe invention, what is claimed as new, anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hopper-bottom car, the combination with plate-girder side walls,"a center sill, a central cross-ridge arranged between the plate-girder sides and above the plane of the center sill, and a cross-beam carried by 13116;?

1.2 .5 ter sil for supportin said center sill subs, 3 I.

plate irder sides in a plane beneath thecen stantially as describe 2. In a hopper-bottom car, the combination with hoppers, of a pair of doors closing the openings thereof, a beani'having a chan'- nel ofvarymg depths, the central partbeing the deepest, said'beam being riveted to the lower edges of said doors, a capplate"fa's 'tened .to said beam the point Where the channel is deepest, and a door-operating mechanism connected to said beam between the doors {substantially as described. 5

3. The combination with a pair of hopper-' doors, of a pressed-steel channel-shaped beam riveted tothe lower-edges thereof, 'a channel in said beam being of varyingdeptlis, the,

said capplate, and-a door-operatingrnechanism connected to said screw-eye; substantially as described. 1

5. The combination with a hopper-door, of a link piyotally connected thereto, rollers carried by said. link, a fixed abutment with which the link cooperates when the door is closed,- and guides for said rollers; substantially as'described. v

6. The combination with hopper doors, of links pivotallyconnectedthereto, rollers on the inner ends 'of said 'lin'ks,- abutmentblocksagainst which the links rest when the doors are closed, beams 8 to whichsaid abutment-blocksare riveted, and guides 9' 'riveted to the ends of said beams, said guidesco operating with said rollers; substantiallyasdescribe J 3 r 7. The combinationwith center sillsQof a cross-beam arranged thereunder, "a transp signature, in the presence of two-Witnesses,- this 29th, dayiof March, 1905.

verse cross-ridgearra1iged above the center sills, hopper-doors hinged tothe legs. ofsaid I cross ridge, longitudinally -'disposed beams riveted to the under side of the cross-beam,

abutment-blocks and guides. on said :lasltmentioned beams, and linksqpivotally'con- P nected, to the hopper-doors and cooperating with said abutment-blocks and guides;"sub

stantially as described. The combination-with a hopper-door,

of a link pivotally connected thereto at one end, the opposite end of said link carrying rollers, and guides 'for said rollers,; which guides have an oblique portion a proxi- -inate'ly'parallel to the plane of the oors in their closed, positionysubstanti'ally, as described.

9. The combination with. a hopper-door,

of links pivotally connected thereto at one end, said links carrying rollers at their opposite ends, and a guide ior'said rollers, said guide having substantially, vertical port-ions at its upper and lower extremities, and an intermediateobliquely disposed portion; sub.-

stantially as described.

v 10'; The combination with a hopper-door,

of an operating nechanisnr therefor c0mprising'a rock-arm 14, links 15 and17, rollers 16 atthe pivotal connectionbetween said links, channeled members 9 forming guides for said rollers, and an abutmentblockjsubstantia lly as described.

11. The combination Witha hopper-door,

of a link'p'ivotally connected thereto at one end aguide forthe opposite'end'of said link,"

another link pivotally connected" to. the guided end of said first-mentioned link,

a rock-farm connected to "said other link,

-.whereby when the-door in a closed position the rock-arm occupies a position of dead center, and an abutment-block for supporting the giiided end of 1said--first-mentionedlink when the door is closed; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l hereunto afiix my s. STEV NSON.- 

